[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] The first participant to correctly guess the number of Baemi (a unit for counting segmented rice paddies) in the terraced rice fields of Cheongsando, which even ghosts cannot know, has emerged.
Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 1st that since April 1st, it has been conducting the ‘Guess the Number of Baemi in Cheongsando Terraced Rice Fields’ event for tourists visiting Cheongsando.
Terraced rice fields refer to narrow and small rice paddies formed in a stepped manner on mountain slopes, a product ingeniously adapted by islanders to survive in harsh environments.
The terraced rice fields of Cheongsando are so densely packed that the number of Baemi is uncountable, creating a landscape that looks like a flowing carpet?green in summer and yellow in autumn.
The ‘Guess the Number of Baemi in Cheongsando Terraced Rice Fields’ event involves looking at the cadastral map of the terraced rice fields located in Eup-ri, estimating the number of Baemi, and writing the guess on an entry form. Those who come close to the correct number (within an error margin of ±5) receive local specialty products as gifts.
Only the county office officials know the exact number of Baemi.
The event is set up at the Seopyeonje-gil Spring Waltz filming location, making it easy for tourists to participate. So far, over 100 people have joined the event, and the first correct answer in two months surprised the officials.
The first tourist to guess correctly, Mr. Kim, said, “I visited Cheongsando from Incheon with my parents and children, and our family of five took on the challenge. I was surprised when Wando County Office sent us a souvenir after we got the correct answer.”
Mr. Kim’s family said, “We wanted to visit Cheongsando when the canola flowers were in full bloom, but due to the ban on tourist entry, we visited in May. Although the Cheongsando Slow Walking Festival was canceled due to COVID-19, we were satisfied with the trip because there were plenty of sights like the green barley fields and Beombawi Rock, as well as small events like this to enjoy.”
Lee Song-hyun, Director of Tourism at Wando-gun, said, “Although the Cheongsando Slow Walking Festival was canceled due to COVID-19, we find it meaningful to provide small pleasures to tourists visiting Cheongsando. Even if you don’t guess correctly, we send a small souvenir, so we ask for many participants.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
